Casino gets environmentally friendly

Sunday

Jun 15, 2014 at 3:15 AM

HAMPTON - The Casino Ballroom, one of the oldest live music and comedy venues in the country, has completed major infrastructure upgrades that will offer concert-goers a more comfortable environment in which to see their favorite artists perform this summer.Working with Unitil, a provider of natural gas and electricity in New England, the Casino Ballroom has taken a number of steps to reduce the energy required to cool the building. First, GDS Associates, Inc. completed an energy audit of the building, which presented unique solutions for not only drastically increasing the venue's cooling capacity by 18 tons, but also ways to vent heat from "trouble spots," such as those that result from hot stage lighting used during shows. These upgrades, installed by J. Lawrence Hall Company, will allow for greater temperature control and a more comfortable viewing experience at shows in the venue, even on the summer's hottest days. Innovations include:? A new, highly efficient HVAC unit and economizer, which will

increase total cooling output? New, cooler LED stage lighting that will generate less heat as wasted energy ? Improved airflow to let excess heat from inside the venue escape more easily"Our goal is to provide the best possible live concert experience in New Hampshire for fans and for performers," said Andrew Herrick, director of marketing, Casino Ballroom. "We're thrilled with the infrastructure upgrades that have been made to our building, and, simply put, the results are incredible. The room will be much more comfortable on hot summer nights, and our overall energy consumption actually went down slightly, even with the added cooling capacity"The Casino Ballroom was one of Unitil's first electric customers in 1900, which means the landmark venue has been a Unitil customer for almost 114 years. "At Unitil, we're proud to help local companies like the Casino Ballroom improve customer experience through innovative energy-efficiency solutions," said Tim Noonis, senior business development manager, Unitil. "The Casino Ballroom is a premiere entertainment venue, and these new improvements guarantee that fans will continue to enjoy world-class shows here for years to come."

For information on the Casino, visit http://www.casinoballroom.com/.For information on Unitil visit www.unitil.com.